BOOKS
The Copt’s Table: Lessons from the Christian Egyptian Kitchen | Ghadha’ al-qibti
A funny, light-hearted book that takes the reader on a journey
of discovering what it means to be a Coptic Egyptian. The
author tells us stories from the Coptic kitchen.
The chapter titles of the book carry the names of Egyptian
foods, giving us the impression that it is a cookery book, but
instead of the recipes, the author narrates in each chapter
the origin of a traditional dish, its importance or relevance to
the Christian family, how it is perceived by the society, and
personal or historical anecdotes from each simple meal.
The book discusses Egyptian society on a minor scale, revealing
how disgruntled the author is with Egyptian traditions and
hypocrisies, but all of this is offered in a humorous tone that
entertains the reader and keeps the pages turning. With a
Christian upbringing, Charles Akl’s words give us an authentic
experience from the heart of Coptic Orthodox society.
Charles Akl
Charles Akl is a writer who also studied arts management
as well as architecture. For several years, he worked in
the cultural management sector in Cairo, and writes tech
articles and music reviews for Mada Masr and Ma3azef
websites.
He was the scriptwriter for a number of short films and
podcasts. His first book The Copt’s Table was published in
2017 (Al Kotob Khan). In 2020 he released his first Novel
Red like Orange, a mocumentary about a fictional music
group (Al Karma Publishers 2020). His Graphic Novel
Jellybird (Al Karma Publishers) is due to be published at
the end 2020.
FEATURED BOOKS
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